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Bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of China are witnessing a golden and distinguished era, in light of the continued expansion of the horizons of the comprehensive strategic partnership between them, with the support and guidance of the wise leadership in the two friendly countries.
The UAE and China have close friendships based on cultural, economic and historical ties. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1984, the two countries have made strenuous and tangible efforts to strengthen their partnership, which was reflected in the signing of more than 148 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields.
The relations between the two countries are historical and deep-rooted. The visit of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, to China in May 1990 was the first of its kind by a Gulf state president to China, and came after the visit of the late Chinese President Yang Shangkun to the UAE in December 1989.
The official visits exchanged between the leaders of the two countries contributed to consolidating bilateral relations between them and pushing them towards further development, including the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the UAE in 2018, while the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to the People’s Republic of China in July 2019 established a new and distinct phase of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries began on November 1, 1984. The Chinese embassy in Abu Dhabi was opened in April 1985, while the UAE embassy in Beijing was opened on March 19, 1987. In an indication of the utmost importance that the UAE attaches to strengthening its relations with China, multiple UAE consulates were opened in Hong Kong in April 2000, Shanghai in July 2009, and Guangzhou in June 2016. In return, the Chinese consulate in Dubai was opened in November 1988.
The UAE and China attach great importance to strengthening their economic partnership and enhancing trade and investment ties between them in all fields. The volume of non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and China last year amounted to AED 296 billion, equivalent to “81 billion dollars”, with a growth rate of 4.2% compared to 2022. Thus, China maintained its position as the UAE’s first trading partner in its non-oil trade during 2023, as it accounted for 12% of that trade.
China ranks first in terms of the UAE’s imports, with a share of 18%. China also ranks 11th in the UAE’s non-oil exports, with a contribution of 2.4%, and 8th in re-exports, with a contribution of 4%. If crude oil is excluded from China’s trade with Arab countries during 2023, the UAE will be the first Arab trading partner, with a contribution of 30%.
Total UAE investment flows to China amounted to about US$11.9 billion between 2003 and 2023, while Chinese investment flows to the UAE amounted to US$7.7 billion during the same period.
The most important sectors of Emirati investments in China include communications, renewable energy, transportation and storage, hotels and tourism, and rubber, while the number of Emirati companies operating in the Chinese market has reached more than 55 companies.
Tourism stands out as one of the most important sectors in strengthening joint economic relations between the UAE and China, as the total number of Chinese tourists reached more than one million visitors in the first ten months of 2023, and the number of Chinese people in the UAE reached about 350,000.
The UAE is a strategic partner in the Belt and Road Initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, and thanks to its strategic location and logistical capabilities, it has become an important and decisive point in the success of the initiative.
The UAE has pumped $10 billion into a joint Chinese-Emirati investment fund to support the initiative’s projects in East Africa, and signed 13 memoranda of understanding with China in 2018 to invest in various fields within the UAE.
Data for the first half of 2023 showed that the value of the UAE’s non-oil trade with the countries included in the initiative amounted to $305 billion, contributing 90 percent of the UAE’s non-oil trade during that period, and achieving growth of more than 13 percent compared to the first half of 2022.
Cultural relations between the two countries are witnessing a growing and remarkable development, represented by the exchange of student visits and delegations of cultural and media officials and researchers between them. Since 1989, the two countries have signed many cultural and media cooperation agreements.
The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Center for the Study of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, which was established in 1990 at the University of Islamic Studies in Beijing, contributed to spreading Arabic culture in China and promoting the Arabic language. Cultural weeks, music festivals, events organized between the two countries, and book fairs also contributed to strengthening cultural relations between them and pushing them forward year after year.
Education is a fundamental pillar of the UAE-China cultural relations. In 2015, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education to encourage cooperation in the fields of science and ensure the quality of education between higher education institutions and scientific research centers in both countries, and exchange university scholarships.
The year 2019 witnessed the launch of the “Chinese Language Teaching Project in 200 Schools” in the UAE, which attracted more than 71,000 male and female students in 171 schools across the country.
